Challenges Before Nigerian Women NGOs

By

Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa

tsakuwa2000@yahoo.com

 

The raging debates against the back-drop of the yet to be prove corruption scandal  involving the leadership of the house of representative of the federal Republic of Nigeria had reached a fever-pitch that majority of  the people are at a loss to decipher clearly the hullabaloo of excitement among the generality of Nigerians.

 

The questions many people are asking regarding this sorry developments and which has so far remain un-answered are: what is so special and novel about this issue, if the leadership of the house of representative headed by a woman, spent a whopping seven hundred million Naira in the renovations of residential house without recourse to due process and within just a few days after been sworn in? How this corruption saga become so different from other similar cases taking into cognisance the fact that, this has not been the first and certainly may not be the last corruptions episodes in our country barring any future miracle! Why other corruption scandals did not generated such a huge furore?

 

To me, the reasons are not par-fetched especially when we recall the oft-repeated hypothesis by women NGOs that women are better managers, less corrupt and well focus. They are also said to be Prudent and naturally given to tackling issues conscientiously and painstakingly at all time devoid of pit-falls. Another arguments often expounded has to do with the general perceptions about women being the weaker sex and less adventurous. They were constantly portrayed as in-corruptible and patriotic. What happened at the honourable house was therefore beyond the expectations of the majority of the people and a practical negation of all the fallacious arguments. I believed the reasons mentioned above may partly be responsible for the excitements.

 

Any Nigerian with a great sense of history may clearly recall how women NGOs subjected Nigerians to endless agitations to accords women at least 30% of all appointments, including areas that are socially and biologically antithetical to their God-given natural endowments. They felt short changed and dominated by men and are too educated and enlightened to remain in their natural sanctuaries-the Home front, as the custodians of sacred family values and culinary skills.

 

Unlike what obtained in other countries where NGOs complemented government efforts in tackling societal ills, through aggressive enlightenments and assistance by whatever means possible; Our Nigerian NGOs share the same ideals with their International counterparts only on paper and in theory and that is where it ended, because in practice they are nothing but a pressure/lobby groups hanging around the corridors of powers soliciting for one favour or the other.

 

Today due to the misplacement of priorities by the women NGOs, to tackle issues of greater importance to the well being of the society, our youth are daily being involved in so many vices. HIV/AIDS pandemic is on the increase. Wild polio Virus has defied solutions. Young women are daily being afflicted and stigmatised by Vescico-Vaginal fistula (VVF) and Eclampsia (Jijjiga). Family system is fast collapsing. Abortion is on the increase. High rate of Maternal and Child mortality and morbidity has reached a point that a declaration of emergency to contain the ugly trends may not be out of points. Cultism and youth restiveness has now become a national problem. The absence of enlightenments has made kidnapping and Raping a daily occurrences. In decent dressing, moral decadence, women and child trafficking with dare consequences on the good image of Nigeria in the international arena has become recurring decimals. The problems are too numerous that if our Women NGOs can sheath their swords and reduce their insatiable pursuit for juicy appointments and favours to focus their attention to the total eradications of these vices, our society will definitely be much better for it.

 

At the risk of being crucified or term gender insensitive, Nigerian women NGOs need to put their act together and face the reality that, for reason that has to do with Anatomy and physiology, the issue of leadership even at the family level is too serious a business to be left in their hands; due to their fragility and ill-preparedness which made them too ill equipped to handle such a delicate, sensitive and complicated issue in a country as complex as Nigeria!

 

 Any attempt to alter the natural course of things with an artificial contrivance will only spelt doom and lead to undesirable consequences. Therefore, let women NGOs restrict their activities to purely issues pertaining to women and children in accordance with the Hausa saying that: “Ciwon ‘ya mace, Na ‘ya mace ne” that is women issues are better understood and solved by women themselves. But can they accept this advice, freely and selflessly given, knowing their insatiable appetite for power, recognitions and wealth! I honestly doubt it much.

 

Had it been that women NGOs restricted their attentions to the areas in which they have clear-cut knowledge and competence, the problems of juvenile delinquencies, hawking, high rate of divorce cases, sexual harrassements,drug abuses, problems of girl child educations in the North will have by now become a thing of the past. Our women NGOs therefore, should appreciate the solid fact that, our African values are entirely different from that of the Europeans to warrant any comparison or imitations and to continue challenging Men and agitating for equal opportunities is Wallahi-Tallahi a mirage and can not be possible since God in His infinite wisdom has demarcated the areas of responsibilities for each and every one of us with a clear-cut precision. So, any attempt to replace what is natural with artificiality can only lead to failure and doom as we saw vividly in the current Patricia Etteh’s alleged corruption scandal!  

 

This case has debunked completely the fallacies being dish-out to the gullible public on a daily basis to drive home the agitation for equality among sexes. The public now realised that the oft-repeated claims that women are better managers is totally false after all. It also proved that whatever man can do, woman can only make a feeble attempt; of-course with some few cases under extremely exceptional circumstances.

 

Therefore, the earlier our  women folks(with due respect) hearken to their God given responsibilities and realise the futility of their relentless agitations and accept the reality of our existence which made some human endeavours an exclusive preserve of Men and a no-go area for them to venture into, the better for all of us.

 

Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa

Lugbe city